Fisheries and Aquaculture

As coastal states face increasing pressure from climate change, rapid coastal development, gentrification on waterfronts, and shifting global markets, the Blue Economy presents a timely opportunity to drive sustainable economic development while preserving critical marine and coastal ecosystems. This Briefing Book provides an overview of the Blue Economy, policy options for state lawmakers, and strategies being used in three key regions to boost collaboration and outcomes: New England, the Gulf Coast, and the West Coast. The Briefing Book also offers considerations for how state policymakers can not only support this growing sector and our working waterfronts, but also how states can collaborate through regional partnerships, multilevel governance, and innovative financing.

Offshore wind development on the U.S. East Coast is projected to deliver 83 gigawatts of energy capacity by 2050. Millions of acres have been sited in U.S. federal waters for offshore wind projects, with five major projects now underway along the East Coast. As part of the siting process, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) prepares an Environmental Impact Statement to assess potential impacts on physical, biological, socioeconomic, and cultural resources. While many potential impacts are addressed through siting, remaining challenges can be minimized through proactive state action.

The Atlantic menhaden is an important forage fish that supports predators like striped bass and bluefish while also providing significant economic value as a major source for the bait fish sector and the fish oil industry. The 2025 coast-wide Stock Assessment of Atlantic menhaden found that the population is not currently being overfished and that population biomass has remained relatively stable in recent decades. However, region-specific concerns (i.e., areas of the Chesapeake Bay) remain about the low abundance of menhaden and the impact this is having on the predators that rely on the species as a food source (i.e., osprey). Policy options exist for states to mitigate these growing concerns among citizens and interest groups while maintaining healthy menhaden populations.

The ocean is often referred to as the heart of the planet — from generating over half the air we breathe to absorbing excess carbon in the atmosphere, serving as home to millions of species, and providing important resources to coastal and inland communities. But, when precious ocean resources and the surrounding environment are not sustainably managed or decisions are made without intentional input from coastal communities, frontline communities, and Indigenous Communities, negative impacts like ocean acidification, decreased marine biodiversity, coastal erosion, environmental injustices, and sea-level rise can emerge. This briefing book is intended to provide an overview of some of these major ocean topics that state legislators across the country are contending with, using existing policies to illustrate how introducing legislation to remedy one ocean issue can have significant co-benefits across coastal ecosystems.